There are known constructions for the dop used to hold a gemstone during various production operations. These typically include a ring or pot formed on the end of an elongate shaft which is rotatable about its axis. Once the gemstone is mounted on the dop, it may be more easily examined and decisions taken as to the required manufacturing procedures in cutting, grinding, polishing or other finishing operations. Identification of the dop-mounted gemstone and the associated finishing procedures to be used in these operations then becomes important, since each gemstone must be treated individually. Where gemstones are transferred between production stations in non-sequential fashion, the result could be mishandling of individual gemstones and confusion as to the appropriate finishing procedures decided upon earlier.
In addition, for finishing procedures such as polishing, a machine operator must properly orient and secure the dop on the machine polishing arm. The orientation of the dop will determine the facet of the gemstone on which the polishing procedure will begin when it is placed against the grinding wheel. In order to correctly implement previous decisions regarding the correct polishing procedure and orientation of the gemstone, an orientation reference point is needed to maintain the necessary level of precision, so as to achieve the overall manufacturing objectives, especially where automatic machining is involved.
Since the manufacturing environment contains foreign matter such as dirt, dust, abrasives, etc., adequate precautions must be taken to insure that these materials do not interfere with identification and orientation of the gemstone.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a means of identifying the correct finishing procedures associated with particular gemstones in production operations, eliminating incorrect orientation and achieving more effective implementation of previous production-related decisions.